The community sector is being urged to sit up and take action to prevent it being seen as an easy target by both the Assembly and Westminster when the budget cuts are finalised.

The call came at a public meeting in Omagh on Thursday night (17th February) organised by trade union SIPTU, which addressed how vulnerable the community sector will be to the budget cuts.

The crowd was made up of a cross section of local councillors, community group and resident association representatives from the Omagh area.
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Ireland's leading Trade Union SIPTU delivered a presentation on their campaign against cuts to communities to Omagh District Council on Tuesday 1st February.

The presentation was delivered by local community activists, Siobhan McDermott, Barry McColgan and SIPTU Lead Organiser Martin O'Rourke and aimed to build awareness and cross community, cross party support behind the community campaign.

A cross section of Councillors were present with all the main political parties represented at the engagement. and SIPTU believe the presentation was enthusiastically received by all. All the Councillors speaking at the meeting expressed their support for the campaign and many noting they were active members of community groups.
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SIPTU supported the Strabane Trades Council in a rally against cuts to the public and community sector.

The rally was held at 2pm on Saturday 11th December in the town’s Castle Street, catching the attention of hundreds of busy Christmas shoppers.

Ryan McNulty of the local Trades Council chaired the proceeding, with the main speakers on the day being Michael Craig of the Unemployed Union, Brian Campfield of the Derry Trades Council and Kenny McAdams of NIPSA.
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Ireland's largest Trade Union SIPTU held a number of engagements with key Community activists in Omagh town on Monday 6th December.

SIPTU Lead Organiser Martin O'Rourke led the meetings with the community organisers, to kick-start a process of engagement and building in the campaign against cuts to the community and voluntary sector.

Among those met were Cllr Martin McColgan (Chairperson of Strathroy Community Association), Michael Kelly (Omagh Community Support Officer) Siobhan McDermott (MACCA Community Centre Development Officer, ODC), Seamus Reid (MACCA Secretary), Gerry McCusker (Omagh Neighbourhood Renewal Officer), and Conor Keys (FOCUS Development Officer). read full story / add a comment

The newly renovated Boe Inn in Dromore, County Tyrone, having just undergone a major renovation, fitting a fully covered and heated area at the back of the bar, will play host to a Big Irish Night on Friday 1st October.

Music will kick off from 10pm, and good food will be served on the night.
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The Irish Climate camp will take place this year in County Tyrone, from the 12th to the 16th of August. The camp is taking place in support of the local community and their opposition to the proposed new A5. Climate Camp Ireland is a group of individuals that believe in taking direct action against the local causes of climate change. The Camp is open to anyone to attend, and will host numerous workshops on many aspects of climate change.

On Saturday July 3rd, Climate Campers took part in a rally organised by the Alternative A5 Alliance in the area surrounding Victoria Bridge, Co. Tyrone to mark their opposition to the planned building of a new dual carriageway. The rally was a silent and symbolic affair with a hearse carrying a coffin with flowers and wreaths. The coffin had a banner on it that read "Kill the road , not the environment". read full story / add a comment

Young republicans from across County Tyrone outraged by today's murderous piracy by Israel have organised a number of actions over the coming week to protest and highlight local anger over these brutal abuses of human rights.

So far 19 deaths and dozens of injured have been claimed when Israeli soldiers boarded a ship and opened fire on civilian humanitarian workers who were bringing much needed aid to the stricken and besieged Palestinian people living in Gaza.

Actions will include graffiti, murals, protests and vigils. A protest is organised by South Tyrone Ógra at the Ballygawley Round at 5pm today, Strabane Ógra and Coalisland/Clonoe Ógra will each be organizing protests respectively and West Tyrone Ógra having already adorned the now vacant Omagh Brit Camp with graffiti and are erecting a mural.
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"A very comradely initiative" is how guest speaker Barry McElduff MLA described Ógra Shinn Féin's 'celebrating the women of struggle' dinner dance.

The national event held in the Fir Trees, in Strabane last Saturday night attracted a large crowd from across Ireland gathered to pay tribute to the woman on the roll of honour, to their families and a number of honourees. read full story / add a comment

West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin have launched a youth election broadcast today (21/04/10) for the upcoming Westminster Election on May 6th.

The youth broadcast features endorsements for Pat Doherty MP from Tyrone GAA County Star Seán O'Neill, Tyrone Hurler Mickey Kelly, and Dromore GAA supremo Fabian O'Neill who captained the triumphant 2007 Dromore Team to their first County Championship.
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Ógra Shinn Féin erected a number of murals in Carrickmore, County Tyrone last night (22 March) ahead of the main Easter Sunday County Commemoration taking place in the republican heartland.

The two murals erected on Quinn's Corner are one urging people to 'wear an Easter lily' in remembrance of Ireland's patriot dead and the other one is highlighting the strong solidarity links between the Basque and Irish Youth.

The murals are the first of many to be erected across Tyrone in the coming week.
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Sinn Féin councillor Marty McColgan has welcomed the passage of a motion at Omagh District Council which 'condemns the repressive measures by the Spanish state against Basque political youth organisation, Segi' and calls for 'an end to repressive measures against the pro independence movement in the Basque country.'

The Sinn Féin motion was inspired by West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin who has maintained strong fraternal links with the Basque Youth Movement, vigorously campaigning against the repression in the Basque Country and has hosted a number of Segi delegations in the local area in the recent past. read full story / add a comment

There was a large turn out in Derry today outside Stand Road PSNI/RUC station following the suspicious death of Strabane political prisoner, John Brady. A white-line vigil gathered together many shades of republicanism represented, many held black flags. read full story / add a comment

The DUP are correct to state that commemoration of the hunger strikers and their brave sacrifice is incompatible with Ruairí Gildernew's membership of the support network for the British colonial police, Republican Sinn Féin have said.
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A LEADING campaigner on sustainable transport issues in Ireland is to refer the Irish government and the Northern Ireland Assembly to the Eurpean Commission for their support for and pursuance of the proposed cross-border A5 Derry to Aughnacloy road scheme.

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East Tyrone Republicans are finished with Adams and McGuinness read full story / add a comment

There is no money left, it’s all gone. At least that’s what you might think after listening to Peter Robinson, Caitriona Ruane, and the parade of capitalist economists and pundits who parrot this nonsense. Yes, we are heading into a deep recession but guess who is expected to pay the cost? read full story / add a comment

A number of houses were raided in the Dungannon and Donaghmore areas of County Tyrone over the past few days. read full story / add a comment

Ógra Shinn Féin in Strabane have called on people of conscience in the local community to boycott Israeli goods and companies, in protest at Israel’s murderous onslaught on the people of Gaza.

The youth movement has said that this is a practical action in which people who feel disgusted at Israeli terror can take to support the beleaguered people of the Gaza strip.
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On Saturday 3rd January, as thousands of people rallied for Palestine across Ireland, and the world, a protest was organised locally in Omagh by West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin.

Chairperson of Omagh District Council Martin McColgan attended the protest to demonstrate his solidarity.

The protest was held on the busy High Street, attracting positive attention from the January sales shoppers, many commenting that they where appalled by Israel’s actions in Gaza. The protesters also handed out hundreds of leaflets, urging people to support further solidarity actions.
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On the day that 1983 Long Kesh Escapee Pól Brennan will go to court in the USA to fight for his release, West Tyrone Ógra Shinn Féin have sent a message of solidarity and called for his “immediate freedom so that he can fight his deportation freely and fairly.”

Pól Brennan has been imprisoned in US jails from January this year, because when he was stopped at a routine road block, his work permit had expired. Pól is not undocumented and has a work authorisation permit in the system since 2006, but he has neither received or been refused the permit.

What began as a simple bureaucratic misunderstanding was soon escalated by the US Homeland Security who has also activated a deportation order for Pól. This completely ignores a US court ruling in 2000 which allowed Pól hearings for political asylum which are still ongoing.
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